Terminals of the kind aforesaid are usually crimped in an appliance or a tool which is provided with a pair of jaws which can be moved toward one another and away one from another and which carry one or more pairs of co-operating crimping dies. The reason for providing more than one pair of crimping dies is to enable treatment of terminals with different affixing parts in one and the same tool.
In order to obtain a connection between the conductor and the terminal which is perfect in electrical, as well as in mechanical aspects, it is essential that the affixing part when being crimped, be exactly positioned in the pair of dies, while the contact part at the same time nust be absolutely clear of the dies.
It has been already proposed to provide crimping tongs with special stop means which shortly before and during the crimping operation define the position of a terminal inserted into the tool for treatment. Such a pair of pliers is described, e.g. in the European patent application of the present inventors published with No. 0124919 and corresponding to the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 599,236. This tool comprises a stop means in the shape of a double armed lever which is pivotally attached to the tool body at a location where also a pivotal jaw is affixed, i.e. the lever and the jaw are mounted on a common pivot pin. The forward arm of the lever extends into the region of the jaws of the tool and has a smooth, straight abutment edge, and the rear arm, which extends from the pivot point in the opposite direction, is affected by actuating means in such a manner that, when the tool is operated, the stop means performs rocking movements which, in one operational phase, bring said forward arm with the abutment edge in front of the affixing part of a terminal inserted into the tongs, and in another phase remove it from this region. The affixing part of the treated terminal is never positively grasped by some part of the stop means.
In the European patent application of the present inventors published with No. 0125708 and corresponding to the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 599,246 a pair of cable shoe pliers is described which has to one side of one jaw firmly attached a housing in which at least one track for the contact part of a terminal is arranged. The length of the track can be adjusted according to the length of the contact part of the treated terminal. Said track is embodied by an elongate chamber which tightly encloses the contact part and the contact part is positively retained in the chamber which, as it is fixed to one jaw of the pliers, follows all movements of the respective jaw.